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Cover of Great Big Beautiful Life

Great Big Beautiful Life

Written by Emily Henry

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363 pages, about 7 hours of reading

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About this book

The dazzling new love story and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick from the TikTok sensation and Sunday Times bestselling author of Beach Read and Funny Story. AN INSTANT NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! ‘Emily knows how to craft a love story like the all-time greats’ -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ‘A new Emily Henry novel is an event, ushering in longer days and promises of summer’ The Skinny ----- When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing. The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story. The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad ... depending on who’s telling it. ----- ‘With a delicious slow-burn romance, a perfectly grumpy hero, and a setting that comes to life, this one checked all my boxes’ -- Laurie Gilmore, bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe ‘One of my favourite authors’ -- Colleen Hoover, bestselling author of It Ends With Us ‘I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous’ -- Ali Hazelwood, bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis ‘An expansive, sweeping love story that also feels so intimately tender.... Beautiful.’ -- Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Honey and Spice ‘Nobody writes chemistry like Emily Henry’. -- Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat Share FIVE STAR READER REVIEWS ‘I loved loved loved loved this and I expected nothing less because duh it's Emily Henry.’ Reader Review ‘My favourite by this 'must read' author’ Reader Review ‘Certainly deliver[s] on the slow burn, sexual tension and romance’ Reader Review ‘Did I finish GBBL or did it finish me?... I devoured it’ Reader Review

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Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Great Big Beautiful Life, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 8 hours
  • intermediate
  • romantic
  • mysterious
  • humorous

Emily Henry's "Great Big Beautiful Life" is a dazzling contemporary romance that blends a high-stakes professional competition with a compelling mystery and a slow-burn love story. It follows eternal optimist Alice Scott and grumpy Pulitzer-prize winner Hayden Anderson, who are both vying to write the life story of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives. Set on the balmy Little Crescent Island, their month-long trial period is complicated by an ironclad NDA, tantalizingly incomplete information from Margaret, and an undeniable attraction that threatens to derail their ambitions. The novel explores how stories are told and interpreted, questioning whether Margaret's tale—and Alice and Hayden's—will ultimately be a mystery, a tragedy, or a love ballad.

Emily knows how to craft a love story like the all-time greats.

Key themes

The Nature of Truth and Storytelling
Central to the plot, this theme explores how stories are constructed, interpreted, and what constitutes 'truth.' With two competing writers and a subject who only offers fragments, the novel questions if objective truth is possible, or if all narratives are inherently subjective, shaped by the teller and the listener.
Ambition vs. Connection
This theme examines the conflict between professional aspirations and the desire for personal, emotional connection. Both Alice and Hayden are driven by their careers, but their growing attraction forces them to confront whether their ambition is worth sacrificing a potentially profound relationship.
The Power of Perspective
Closely related to storytelling, this theme highlights how an individual's background, experiences, and biases influence their understanding of events. Alice's optimism and Hayden's cynicism likely lead them to interpret Margaret's story and their own burgeoning relationship in vastly different ways, until they learn to integrate their perspectives.

Worth discussing

How does the novel explore the concept of 'truth' in storytelling? Do Alice and Hayden ever find the definitive truth about Margaret?

Chapter-by-chapter breakdowns, character arcs and the full thematic analysis come with a free account.

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